U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,826 (Strudel), issued on Dec. 12, 1989, describes a tubular fabric expander or spreader which is held externally by upper and lower spreader heads (10, 10') each including a plurality of rollers (11, 12; 11', 12'). A float body (9) is inserted between the spreader and the lower support rollers (11', 12'). Lateral mangling stations are not disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,826.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,023 (Strudel et al.), issued on Jan. 18, 1994 describes a method for avoiding edge markings in tubular knitted fabrics and an apparatus for carrying out such a method. The apparatus has rotatable inner and outer squeezing or mangling roller stations which are adjustable in their diameter. The tubular knitted fabric passes through between the inner and outer mangling roller stations. The inner mangling roller station corresponds substantially to an expander for tubular textile fabric. However, each of the longitudinal guide rollers of the earlier Strudel apparatus has been replaced by a pair of inner squeezing rollers. In the Strudel et al. apparatus upper and lower spreader heads (11, 11') with respective sets of rollers (9', 12'; 9, 12) are used to axially and laterally hold the inner mangling rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,922 (Strudel), issued on May 28, 1996 describes a spreader and mangle for tubular fabric with upper and lower roller heads which leave room for improvement regarding these roller heads.
Each pair of squeezing rollers of the inner mangling roller station forms, together with one squeezing roller of the outer roller station, a so-called partial squeezer. The arrangement is such that in a squeezing operation of tubular fabric a power driven squeezing roller of the outer station reaches between the two squeezing rollers of each squeezing roller pair of the inner station, whereby a respective reach is controlled. The treatment liquor is thus substantially squeezed out of the tubular fabric.
The fabric is kept in a spread state by a spreader device provided with roller heads at the upper and lower ends of the apparatus. The roller heads in turn are supported by respective fixing or positioning rollers. The roller heads with their positioning rollers fix the position of the spreader mechanism and simultaneously permit the motor driven width adjustment of the spreader mechanism by a lifting device such as a piston cylinder which is connected to the mounting of the lower roller head.
The just described conventional spreader station works well for its intended spreading purpose, but leaves room for improvement with regard to the guiding of the fabric after the treatment liquor has been squeezed out of the tubular fabric.